THE INSIDE LINE

No more bent mechs, as Canadian engineer Cedric Eveleigh has invented a rear derailleur hidden inside the rear triangle

A man in a shed has just invented a way of hiding the derailleur inside a bike’s rear triangle, thereby ending the age-old problem of smacking your mech off on a rock. Called the Supre Drive, the derailleur is protected by the rear stays and projects forwards not downwards, keeping it well clear of the ground. Mech, check mate.

In the spirit of all great inventors, Cedric Eveleigh developed the system in his shed. He’s Canadian, so it’s probably bigger than most UK houses of course, but a shed none the less. As such it’s not available on a production bike or aftermarket… yet. The Supre Drive works with a conventional chain, BB, crankset and 11-speed cassette (12-speed is coming), but you need a purpose-built frame to house the new design. So you’ll be wasting your time trying to squeeze it inside your enduro frame, even if you are rocking Super Boost Plus.

“Ever since I was a youngster I was aware that derailleurs sucked,” Cedric explained to us. “I’d had some bad experiences, as most mountain bikers have, so I wanted to make mountain bikes better, and have an adventure for myself too.”